D.C. has been doing arguably the best work of any jurisdiction *in the nation* at creating a child care system that works well for families, kids, and early educators. To torpedo the Pay Equity Fund which now undergirds that progress would be public policy malpractice.

The Mayor’s budget has been issued and it’s a nightmare for families and Early Educators. She cuts child care subsidy and Pay Equity and zeroes out Health Care4 Child Care workers and families. Remember the rally before Early EdX Friday.

She had options but chose to target early educators, working families with low incomes, wealth-building for poor kids, eviction prevention svcs, and all with low and mod incomes via sales tax. That's not shared sacrifice. #dcbudget #taxsystemforjustice #justrecoverydc

.Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposed FY25 budget decimates the #childcare sector with massive, multi-year cuts to subsidies for families, and permanently eliminates the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund and HealthCare4ChildCare. Read our statement: under3dc.org/mayor-bowsers-… #Under3DC

Thank you CM Christina Henderson for saying it so clearly and so passionately. Eliminating the Pay Equity Fund is the wrong choice. Zeroing it out fails families, educators, child care providers, and our city. We will fight to the very end to get it back.

Lots of talk about the Pay Equity Fund’s “unmitigated, unsustainable” growth. This growth is predictable and represents inc participation in the PEF, inc credential attainment among educators, and progress towards pay equity. Cutting the PEF is not the answer

Last night, we received the Mayor's proposed DC budget for FY25. ↙️ dccouncilbudget.com/fy-2025-budget This budget is billed as "shared sacrifice," but the overwhelming weight of it falls on our schools, early childhood educators, and low-income families. My key takeaways: 🧵

"Elimination of the Pay Equity Fund = wrong move for our city. Council will have to work to get it back. A few yrs ago, Council came together & asked for a little something from highest earners to fund PEF. [Bowser] kept the $$ but cut the programs." 💯CM Allen's Team Under 3 DC

Compensation is tied to quality. We know that the well-being and expertise of early childhood educators who care for young children have an impact on the quality of services children receive. This has been reemphasized through the data from the WeVision EarlyEd initiative.

I can't underscore how terrible Muriel Bowser's budget is. She chose to cut eviction prevention, food assistance, pay for early childhood educations. At the same time she found $515 million to bail out a billionaire owned sports team. When somebody shows you who they are, listen

DC's strides in early childhood education have been a beacon of hope. Reversing the gains by cutting funds isn't just a mistake; it threatens our future. Stand w/ us to support educators & families. Full statement: NAEYC.org/pay-equity-fund #StandWithEducators #NoPayCuts DCAEYC

Holy shit, this “American girl” ad from The Seneca Project is amazing!!! Hard to see the letters I’m typing through the tears streaming down my face though.

We are NOT asking for our rights. We are NOT asking for our freedom. We are not asking for EQUALITY. We are TAKING it. Tuesday, we ride at dawn. #VoteEarlyForDemocrats

THIS IS POWERFUL. A 15-year-old girl watches how America talks about women. Wow.

BREAKING: Will.i.am just dropped a new track titled "Yes She Can"—and yes, “She” is Kamala Harris. This is the anthem America needs to hear right now.

"Most Americans have only ever lived in a world where democracy was secure, where democracy was assumed. On Tuesday, we'll decide if we want to stay in that world or leave it behind." [more below] - Jamelle Bouie (tinyurl.com/3pjnyf7k)

Kamala Harris didn't lose, America did. As a nation, we collectively failed her—and in doing so we failed girls and women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, Muslims, Jewish people, immigrants, the sick, the poor, the elderly, the people of Ukraine, and Gaza, and the planet.

Was it racism? Was it sexism? The people voted and they voted for a liar, cheat, criminal, and someone who does not care about them. They voted against their own self interest. Fifty percent of this country just voted against our Democracy. I have disdain for that. I am